Augustana 16 Upper Iowa 15

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A Sunday wrestling matinee at the Elmen Center came down to the final match between Augustana and No. 19 Upper Iowa, and while the Vikings came up short in the last match of the dual, they still hung on for their fourth straight win, a 16-15 victory over the Peacocks.

The win boosts the Vikings dual record to 4-1 overall, and to 3-1 in Northern Sun action, while the visiting Peacocks see their two-match winning streak come to an end with a 6-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the NSIC.

Down 3-0 after the first match of the day, the Brayden Curry got the Vikings on the board at 133 lbs. with a 10-8 upset decision over No. 7 Justin Folley. Up 7-2 after a takedown, four-point near fall, and an escape in the first, he pushed the lead to 9-5 after two, and then hung on for the win, which gives him a 7-13 mark overall, and a 2-2 record in the NSIC.

Trailing by three again at 6-3 into the 149 lbs. match, Tyler Wagener evened things up again with a 14-5 major decision. Leading 11-4 with 45 seconds left, Wagener elected to go neutral, giving Ryan Steffen a point for an escape, but got the takedown he needed to go up 13-5, plus one point for riding time, to secure the major decision, and a 7-6 Augie lead. Wagener’s second major decision of the season gives him an 8-4 record overall and evens his NSIC record at 2-2.

The lead grew to 10-6 at 157 lbs., as Colin Ayers hung on for a 6-4 decision over Mac Spotts. After no scoring in the first period, Ayers got an escape, reversal and takedown, compared to a takedown and escape for Spotts to take a 5-3 lead into the third, where Spotts got an escape to cut the lead to 5-4, but he would get no closer, as Ayers tacked on a point for riding time to secure the win, and improve to 22-9 on the season overall and to 3-1 in the NSIC.

Needing a win from Lukas Poloncic at 174 lbs. to keep the lead, the senior built a 4-2 lead into the third period thanks to a takedown and an opponent escape in each of the first two periods. He opened the third period with his third takedown, and then rode out Jordan Gundrum for the 7-2 win. His eighth consecutive win boosts his record to 12-7 overall and to 4-0 in the NSIC. It also gave the Vikings a 13-9 lead in the dual.

The Peacocks got one back at 184 lbs., to cut the lead to 13-12, but Clayton Wahlstrom returned the favor at 197 lb., to put the Vikings up 16-12 into the final match of the dual. Wahlstrom, who earned his seventh straight win, moves to 23-11 overall and to 4-0 in the NSIC. He got a takedown with five seconds left in the first period, added an escape in the second and then held off a late charge to get the 3-1 upset decision over No. 9 Nick Baumler.

The Vikings return to action on Friday, when they host No. 9 Minnesota State at the Elmen Center at 7 p.m.